These new powerful DIGIC 5+ image processors can handle almost any task that you give to them - in realtime. They're built in the 5D Mark III, EOS-1DX and the soon available 4K EOS-1DC DSLR with 8bit 4:2:2 1080p HDMI output. This makes me think that the Canon management told their engineers to cripple the power of the lower end DSLRs like the EOS-1DX, 5D Mark III, 650D by using only a different software. The hardware parts are almost the same if you check the specifications (besides the CMOS sensors). With this faster DIGIC 5+ image processor it should be possible to gain more (or real 1080p) resolution (like the Panasonic GH2) from a 5D Mark III by optimizing the intentionally crippled downscale algorithm.
With the 5D Mark II they introduced line-skipping because the processor was not fast enough to handle the stream of data. Now they advertise the new 5D Mark III does not use line-skipping anymore.
When I see what you guys at Magic Lantern have succeeded so far, Im wondering if these very talented programmers could also implement a MPEG variant XF 422 codec at 50Mbit in a 5D Mark III or at least unlock the full potential of the DIGIC5+ processor.
The hardware is right in front of us, we just need some software engineers to make it work with real FullHD like Canon advertised :-)
Thanks so far for your invaluable work!
A camera is made of many parts, the processor and the cmos being just two of them....
Im just saying that these codecs are not hardware based like they were before. Nowadays they are made out of 0 and 1 - it's much more cheaper for the companies to drop it faster on the market and offering firmware updates later if something doesn't work right.
Yea, easy, just change some 0 and 1's...